Harry Potter, a Soul Tale
by telmeastory
Summary: Harry has been called to become the defender of Magic. Unfortunately, his life was not going in the proper direction. Therefore, it took a bit of intervention for him to find his proper soul mate...umm mates?
1. Chapter 1: Soul Bonds

The room was rather large. There were windows, a door, even a table. Some would see this room and use the term Heaven, others Valhalla. The term Nirvana would come into play as well. On occasion, someone may even refer to it with the term Home.

In the room there were four beings. One was a wizened old man with a long beard. Many terms had been used for him: Zeus, Odin, Merlin. Through time, the terms changed, but his role remained. Most recently, he had appeared under the moniker Dumbledore.

The next being radiated wisdom. He had eyes which could seemingly see everything. For him, the world had known the names of Toth, Ogma, and Apollo. The latest incarnation was referred to as Ollivander.

The third being looked a bit more haggard than the other two with leathery skin. It had a short stature and previous names had been ones such as Krampus. Most recently, the name Ragnok had held firm.

The final being had pointed ears. In this form, it was also a short being with large eyes. While the names were numerous, many could not be pronounced in the human tongue. The last time this being graced the earth, the name Dobby had stuck.

These four, all recently departed from the earth sat, awaiting the one being destined according to all four to change the world. Each had known this being in their own way during their time on earth and each had deemed his tale a sad cause. As such, these four, the creators, decided to grant a gift.

This being was one of pure light. The energy which flowed from it was greater than anything else in the universe. It was this and this alone which had long protected it. That said, all four beings knew that unless drastic measures were taken, this being would soon give in to the darkness.

But, with the right support, this being would become the greatest. It was destined to save the earth and all of magic with it. But that, of course, could only be done with help. This being of pure light needed to be tempered with others. There was only one way in which to do that.

They had failed this being in their first journey. All four had simply let things play out. It had cost this being. It had cost life, power, and at the moment it seemed to be costing the world.

So now they would change that. That being would be joining them soon.

Almost as if on cue, another being appeared in their midst. This one was a young man. With apprehension on his face, he looked to the other beings in this room. His voice echoed in the room.

"I know you."

After taking a moment to smile at one another, the beings turned back to face the young man. He looked to be about 19 with jet black hair that could not be tamed. He waited as the being with the great beard stood and smiled at him.

"So you do. There is much to discuss. Let us begin by telling you about us. I am known to you as Dumbledore, but I have been known by a great many names. Overall, I am known as the All-Father." As Dumbledore sat, Ollivander stood next.

"I am the keeper of knowledge and wisdom, known to you as the wand maker Ollivander, but have appeared in many other forms. To all, I am Toth." Next stood the goblin-like creature.

"My names cannot all be told, but here you know me as Ragnok. I represent the gruff side of magic as the first goblin." Finally the diminutive elf stood.

"And you, Harry Potter sir, know me as Dobby. In truth, I represent the grace of magic. I am the first Elf."

"Now as to your presence here," The Dumbledore figure stood once more. Everyone else relented to him. "It is simply because your time is over too soon. We, the creators of magic, have failed our own greatest creation. The cause to defend all magic was to fall to you as we all passed." Ollivander now stood next to him.

"But we did not allow the proper connections to occur, leading you to your true place. The light within you is very bright, yes, but it is not as pure as it needs to be. In order for that to occur, we should have give you our gifts." Now Ragnok stood.

"These gifts were meant to protect you and help you grow into your full power. You are a raging storm, meant to cleanse the world." Finally Dobby stood so all the beings in the room were standing.

"But we failed you. Due to our negligence, you were never truly cared for nor loved. As such, your strength never matured and you wasted all you were saving the earth from the first darkness. That is not how it was supposed to be."

"So now." Dumbledore spoke.

"Our Gift to you." Ollivander continued.

"To return you to." Ragnok opened.

"The time and place of our gifts." Dobby closed.

Harry stood completely amazed by the feeling of warmth and power emanating from these four. Before him were the greatest magical beings to ever have existed, according to his limited knowledge of history. So what could happen next only served to further shock and amaze his still limited understanding of his position.

"From myself, the god of wisdom, I grant you knowledge and understanding well beyond your now limited years." Ollivander spoke solemnly.

"From the rough side of magic, I grant you a soul-bond born of sacrifice." Ragnok boomed. Dobby continued before Harry could say anything.

"From the grace of magic, I grant you a soul-bond born of choice."

"And from the all-father, I grant you a soul-bond born of unrequited love, at least it seems." Dumbledore stated.

There was a flash of light, leaving Harry alone in the room. There were too many thoughts racing in his mind before he heard Dumbledore's voice echo in his mind.

"Remember, a soul-bond is not a guarantee. It is merely something we offer. Any one of these will allow you to control your future, but none are required. You will keep your memories of the life once led, but now you will forget you know us. Good luck my boy."

With that, everything faded.


	2. Chapter 2: The Goblet

Harry woke with a throbbing headache. The last thing he remembered was the attack.

WAIT! The Attack!

Harry attempted to shoot his wand out of his holster, only to lose himself when nothing happened. A shocked wizard reflected on what had happened.

He had been at the ministry. It was a party to reflect on those lives lost during the second war. It had been a sad, somber moment, disguised as a celebration. Harry wasn't sure how all of that made him feel.

As soon as Minister Kingsley had finished his speech, there had been an explosion by the stage. Harry, who had left for a moment of peace, returned to see the stage explode and see the blast engulf not only the minister, but also Ginny.

What felt odd, thinking back, was that it was not Ginny's death which had affected him so much. No, it was seeing three others perish which had messed with his head. In a rage, the young wizard who had killed Voldemort drew his wand and began exacting his revenge on those in dark cloaks who suddenly speared in the room. Harry had just completed his Auror training the year before and was a true terror. None of the other cadets and most of the current Aurors wished to face him in a duel because Harry was fast, powerful, and took no prisoners.

In this case, the cloaked death eaters had no idea what they were getting into. Harry turned to face the first three, easily dispatching them, before a fourth snuck up behind. The last thing Harry remembered was the bright green flash before waking up here.

Well where exactly was here? A cursory glance saw hanging curtains. A Quick flash of his hand and the curtains flew back.

The speed, not to mention the simple way he had cast the spell threw Harry off. He had only ever been able to cast small spells wandlessly, but to have done that so simply and without an incantation, it was unheard of except for the most powerful of wizards.

Harry was lost in these thoughts as his eyes adjusted and the room came into focus.

Harry Potter, Order of Merlin 1st Class, Senior Auror only a year into his duties, world champion Duelist was sitting in a place he had not been since he was 16: His room in Hogwarts. With a bit of trepidation, Harry began wishing he had a mirror to see himself in when suddenly a hand mirror appeared in his hand. Harry looked into the mirror to notice a few things. His face was, first of all, much younger than the last time he had seen it. Second was that his scar, which had been healing nicely following the elimination of Voldemort, was back. Finally, His glasses, which he had not worn since getting his eyes fixed just before Auror training, were back on his face. This was indeed going to be a long day.

Harry was shaken from his thoughts by a voice which sounded much higher than the last time he had heard it.

"Come on Harry, Let's go down to get some breakfast! Its Halloween! The Champions are chosen tonight!" As Harry's memories kicked in, he realized what year this was. He felt his stomach drop, knowing what would be happening tonight.

"You just want to see one Viktor Krum." Harry grasped his throat at his own voice. The high pitched voice which came out was not at all what he had expected. But before anyone could react, Ron's stomach growled. The red-head grinned sheepishly at him before stating he was going to get food. Harry's own stomach growled in agreement and the two soon were off. Harry's mind was racing trying to figure out what was going on.

"Well There you two are, finally!" With an exasperated sigh, Hermione jumped up and gave them each one of her just a bit too tight hugs before the trio began making their way down to the Great Hall. Harry was lost in his thoughts. Seeing Hermione for some reason made him blissfully happy, but he couldn't sense why. Ok, that wasn't true, he knew exactly why. It was just that it was his older self that knew this, not the current self he was. He was shaken from his thoughts as the object of them called his name.

"HARRY!" Hermione was standing next to him, staring at him. Harry looked around and saw Ron heading on in to the Great Hall. Noting where his eyes went, Hermione shook her head. "I told him to go save us seats. You looked distracted. Is everything ok?"

Harry glanced around the hall before silently casting a silencing spell around the two. Hermione noticed things getting quiet and turned her attention back to Harry, the concern now evident on her face.

"Something is wrong with me Hermione. I don't know exactly what or how, but…well….ok, this is going to sound really strange, but I feel like I don't belong here."

"What do you mean, of course you belong here Mr. Potter!" Hermione put on her best stern look, but her eyes showed fear at his words. Harry offered her a smile, but it did not quite reach his eyes.

"Thank you Mione, but that isn't quite what I mean. What I mean is that…well, I know things I shouldn't know. I've lived this all before. I don't mean like déjà vu, I mean full out this entire day. I know Flitwick is going to have us work on the Augmenti spell today, I know Ron will make a comment about your hair today which will upset you, and I know for a fact my name is going to come out of that Goblet even though I have never even dreamed of putting my name in it." Hermione looked a bit shocked at his pronouncement before her stern face returned.

"Harry James Potter, you really should stop right now. Maybe it is a bit of Déjà vu or something. Or maybe this is something else. But please quit teasing me. Let's go get some food." As she turned to leave, Harry gently grasped her arm. As she turned, there was a desperate look in his eyes. She felt her fear fade a bit at the look on his face. "Look Harry, I don't know what's going on. With the stress of school and the tournament coming, maybe it's all too much. I'm sorry. Let's just get through today and go from there. You know I'll be there for you no matter what."

Harry gently let go of her arm. As he removed the silencing spell, Hermione gave him one more odd glance before the two made their way over to sit beside Ron at the Gryffindor table. The red-head was already stuffing his face.

"So whats up?" Ron managed to stutter around his full mouth.

"Nothing much, Harry wanted some advice on some homework." Hermione played this off, not even looking at Harry. She began piling things on to her plate. Harry had been hoping she wouldn't tell, but seeing her seem to know without him saying anything really touched him. He needed to tell her thank you later.

Honestly, he needed to tell her a lot of things later.

Soon, the trio were settling into their Charms class. Hermione, Ron, and Harry all say in a line at the desks, waiting for the diminutive Professor Flitwick to appear and begin the lesson. Harry chanced a glance and saw a particular blond pass the door. For some reason, it made his heart stop, but he wasn't exactly sure why. At least not until he thought back to the night of the attack….which apparently had not happened yet. He would have to try and talk to her later. There would be a lot going on there. He quickly turned away from the door.

As soon as they saw the shorter man appear, Harry began grinning. It was time for Hermione to see phase one. She chanced a glance at him before blushing and turning back to face Professor Flitwick.

"Good morning class. Please put your books away. After we begin, everyone will be getting one of these candles behind me. You will be lighting them and then learning to put them out using the water shooting spell. Can anyone tell me what that spell is?" He looked for a moment before calling on the lone hand raised, Hermione's. Her voice shook as she called it to him.

"Augmenti."

"Correct, excellent! 5 points for Gryffindor Ms Granger! Now everyone please carefully come get your candles and let's begin."

Harry moved quickly so he could miss the look that Hermione was giving him. The shock was evident in her entire body.

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Daphne Greengrass was not having a good morning. She had received a letter from her parents. This letter had informed her of a marriage contract which had been signed shortly after her birth. While Daphne, while not happy about this, had come to expect it, it was the whom that shocked her.

Daphne Greengrass was apparently betrothed to the Gryffindor Golden Boy, Harry Potter himself. How could that possibly happen. As she stormed by Flitwick's Charms classroom, she felt someone staring and stopped. As she glanced into the room, she noticed a certain black-haired young man sitting. He was smiling over at the bushy-haired bookworm. For some reason, Daphne felt herself getting jealous.

Wait, why on earth would she, the Ice Queen of Slytherin, be feeling jealous over her betrothed, who she did not care for at all, staring with such caring at someone else?

Tearing herself away, she began making her way down to her class. She thought about Harry Potter on the way. Truth was she did not mind him. The young man was rather handsome and had a certain charisma to him. He had even put Draco in his place a time or two, something Daphne had certainly appreciated.

No, what bothered her about the situation was the fact that she had no choice in the matter. She had learned from an early age from her mother that having choice was not something granted to good pure blood witches. She was essentially piece for bargaining. Her mother frowned at this idea, but did not really have a way of negating it. Further, though her father was not happy about it, he could not end the contract without greatly damaging himself. The Potter name was too big a deal.

And so now Daphne was lost, betrothed to a man she had never even talked to and probably never would until her wedding night seeing as his best friend loathed anything in green and silver.

Daphne felt her eyes watering at that thought and really had no idea why. She shoved that down, putting on her ice queen mask before entering her classroom.

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"Well maybe it will help your hair stay down for a bit!" Ron shouted, his face reed with anger. He was seething as the now soaked girl sprinted from the classroom, fighting her tears. Ron glanced over at Harry, but the look he got in return did not suggest that his best mat was happy with him. Ron felt himself wither under the glare from those green-eyes which had, apparently at some point in the future, stared down some very dangerous foes. Without a word, Harry took his bag and tore out of the room after Hermione.

He found her a few feet later, tucking herself away into an alcove, apparently trying to hide from everyone. As he approached, Harry quickly cast a notice-me-not charm and slipped into the already crowded alcove with the bookworm wo, in his opinion, radiated beauty. He sat there silently, waiting, while she sniffled.

"You knew."

"I'm sorry Mione." Harry reached out a comforting arm when he soon found himself enveloped in a hug by Hermione. She buried her face in his chest and began to cry.

"No, I mean you knew it was coming. Not that I wanted you to do anything about it." Hermione sniffled a bit more before pulling herself back deeper into the alcove. She really didn't want to be noticed, not even by him.

"Whats wrong Hermione?"

"He isn't wrong. My hair wont behave, my teeth are too big, and I'm definitely not as pretty as some of the other women here." Harry had heard enough. He carefully grasped her hands in his, pulling her back into him. She went reluctantly, but there was a contented sigh as she collapsed into his arms.

"Hermione, he was so wrong. More wrong than I think he will ever realize. And so are you. You are gorgeous. You have a smile that lights up any room you walk into. Your eyes are entrancing. It makes my day to hear you laugh. I know for a fact that I could not go for a day without seeing you. I mean, come on, the few months without you in second year nearly drove me mad." Harry paused, waiting to see if she would respond. After a bit more sniffling, she did.

"You just wanted my help on homework." It was half-hearted, but it was a response. Harry pulled her in closer, wishing she could feel the emotions and desperation in his hug.

"No, I didn't give one damn about Homework then, except for making sure I had notes for you." He heard a giggle at this. "Hermione, if Ronald Weasley is too blind to see the gorgeous woman you have become, that is his loss. If you are too blind to see her, that I my problem. I will not have my best friend who I….care so much about, putting herself down like this. You are gorgeous, Hermione. If there are things you truly want to change about yourself, let me know and we'll figure it out. Otherwise, just let me bask in how truly wonderful you are."

The passion of his words seemed to stop Hermione in her tracks. After a few minutes, she settled into his embrace.

"Thank you Harry."

"Anytime Mione."

Harry was wishing for so much more, but he could wait. She needed time. He knew how wonderful she was, now he just needed her to know how wonderful she was.

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It was time to choose the champions. The first two had already been chosen, Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour. They were just waiting on the Hogwarts Champion.

Hermione and Harry were sitting near the end of the table. After things had blown up with Ron, they were putting some space between them. The red-head had settled down near the other end with Seamus and Dean while Neville had come to with Harry and Hermione.

The goblet flared once more and another piece of parchment fluttered from the cup, landing neatly in Dumbledore's hand.

"And the Hogwarts Champion is Cedric Diggory!"

The Great Hall erupted in applause as the Hufflepuff made his way to the stage. The looks of admiration on everyone's faces astounded. He was certainly the right choice.

Then Hermione reached over and grabbed Harry's hand. Although he did not mind, he knew it was because she was scared for him. And scared she should be. The goblet flared one more time and one more piece of parchment fluttered into Dumbledore's hand as the hall became deathly silent. Harry felt himself begin to shake as Hermione's squeezed his hand.

"Maybe it won't be-"

"Harry Potter."

Harry looked down at the ground. He did not want to do all of this again. He had barely survived the last round. Could he really be so lucky in two lifetimes?

"HARRY POTTER!" Dumbledore called again. It was only with Hermione pushing him that he managed to come to his feet and fight his way past the onlookers. He entered the room behind and saw the other three champions.

"Harry, are they ready for us?" Cedric called upon seeing him.

"Not even cloe." Harry muttered under his breath.


	3. Chapter 3: Gringots

The silence that had fallen in the room with the champions was broken as several others rushed into the room. The first was Dumbledore who grasped Harry and pressed him to the wall.

"Did you put you name in the Goblet Harry?" Harry looked oddly at the man. His face read anger, but there was an odd gleam of laughter in his eye. From the position with the greatest wizard of the age holding him, Harry quickly drew his wand.

"I, Harry James Potter, swear that I did not place, nor did I get someone else to place my name in the Goblet of Fire. So mote it be." The flash that followed blinded everyone for a moment before chaos ruled again.

"I want a second champion Dumbledore."

"We, as do I!" The other headmasters were demanding and it took Dumbledore a few minutes before peace was restored. It was Fleur who spoke next.

"But he is just a leetle boy."

"Be that as it may, Mr. Potter is now in a binding contract with the Goblet. His name came out, whether he entered it or not. It will be his magic lost if he does not compete." Barty Crouch was speaking next, a disgruntled look on his face. It was the sneering Professor Snape who then jumped in.

"This is just Potter seeking attention."

"Surely sir." Harry said, addressing his question to Dumbledore, "There is some way to get me out of this?"

"Afraid not Harry my boy. But I have complete faith in you to get through this." There was still that humored twinkle in the professor's eye. Harry caught it for sure. The professor knew something. Maybe even something about why Harry could remember another life. But if professor Dumbledore thought he could make it, then just maybe..

"Fine, for the sake of my magic, I will compete, but I am not a Hogwarts Champion. That right belongs to Cedric." Several of those present seemed ready to protest until Dumbledore once again intervened.

"Yes, well let's you and I discuss that Mr. Potter. The rest of you, please enjoy your evenings and we will discuss things tomorrow."

Everyone in the room seemed to know better than to argue when Dumbledore was so authoritative. They shut their mouths and departed, leaving Harry and the old Headmaster alone. There were a tense few moments of staring before Dumbledore spoke.

"Tell me, Harry, there is something different about you. Care to tell me what it might be?"

There were a few more tense moments of staring before Harry relented.

"I cannot really explain it professor. I remember all of this happening. And not like Déjà vu, but actually happening. I know I'm in this. I know I'm going to face a dragon for the first task. I know we will be in the lake for the second task and a maze will overrun the quidditch pitch for the third task. So tell me, professor, am I going mad?" As Harry reached the end of his rant, he slumped into a couch in the room, waiting for the headmaster's response.

"That is quite a great deal of information you really should not know, Mr. Potter. While I will neither confirm nor deny what is going on, it does seem to have led to, perhaps, some positive changes in you?"

"Sir?" Harry felt lost. What could have changed so positively overnight?

"I noticed you sitting beside one Miss Granger during dinner and you two seemed ot be, well, holding hands?"

Harry felt the blush rage right down to his feet. He had really enjoyed that. The other life he remembered told him that he adored that witch, but he didn't realize it was showing so much.

"With all due respect, Headmaster, but that is between Hermione and myself." The headmaster considered him for a few more minutes with eyes twinkling.

"Indeed it is, Harry. In the meantime, however, I do believe you and I should go take care of some business which seems to have arisen."

"Sir?" Harry felt lost all over again as Dumbledore came to grasp his hand. He strode over to the fireplace, offering Harry a handful of green powder which made Harry groan.

"To Gringots, Mr. Potter. See you there soon!"

With that, Dumbledore jumped into the floo himself without giving Harry a chance to say a word. It was a very reluctant Harry who stumbled out of a floo in Gringots only a moment later. Dumbledore helped him to his feet before leading him to a counter where one Griphook sat.

"How may I help you?" It was the long drawn out tone used to annoy and discourage various wizards as they worked on getting their money. Harry just seemed happy to recognize anyone.

"Hello Griphook!"

The look on the goblins face was priceless as he was recognized. He stared carefully over his glasses at the two before him as he rose. Then both saw something known as a rare sight within the wizarding world: a goblin smile.

"Welcome back Mr. Potter, and you too Mr. Dumbledore. How may we here at Gringots be of assistance to you today?"

"Ah yes, I believe young Harry should see his accounts and needs to complete some paperwork. If we might have the chance to meet with Director Ragnok, I'm sure he could clear everything up. We would love to have you assist us as well, Master Griphook." Dumbledore's tone and demeanor shocked the goblin as well. It was calm and polite, but there was a raging sense of power and energy behind it. Griphook immediately sent someone to check if Director Ragnok was available for these two guests. After receiving the affirmative, he turned back to the pair.

"Please gentlemen, follow me."

There was a short trip through the maze that was the Gringots corridors before stopping at what seemed to be the most regal looking door available. A simple knock from Griphook led to the doors being thrown open and a deep voice calling from within.

"Please gentlemen, enter."

Harry, Dumbledore, and Griphook entered with the later bowing deeply and the other two politely bowing their heads to the Goblin leader. He was a large and powerful specimen. He seemed to emit energy and quickly offered the three seats.

"So how may we here at Gringots be of assistance today?"

"Well, Mr. Potter here has been entered in a tournament which, according to ministry standards, is only for those of legal age. As such, I was hoping those of you here at this wonderfully fascinating bank might be able to assist him in becoming emancipated?"

Harry's eyes opened wide at this. It was not at all what he had anticipated. Still, Dumbledore had just asked for it, surely that meant something big. In his musings, Harry missed the contented glance shared by Ragnok and the headmaster.

"Of course Headmaster, just this here." Ragnok produced a large roll of parchment with a great deal of writing on it and indicated at the bottom for Harry to sign. Harry's signature was soon followed by Ragnok's and Dumbledore's.

"Thank you, this will be filed with the Ministry in the morning, but Mr. Potter, you are indeed emancipated."

"Thank you Director Ragnok, I appreciate your support in this matter. Please call me Harry. May your gold overflow." Harry did not know where any of that came from, but it felt right. As soon as he saw the smiles on everyone's faces, he knew it was the right thing to say. The booming laughter of Ragnok confirmed it.

"Please call me Ragnok, Harry. And I look forward to working with you a great deal in the future. Now what else can we do for the two of you?"

"We would like a record of Harry's holdings."

"Immediately, Griphook, please go find them."

As the younger goblin left the room, Harry felt an overwhelming presence. He looked to the two in the room and suddenly felt very out of place. These two resonated power and it was clear to see. He felt himself fade into darkness at their strength, but before he did, he caught their conversation.

"So has he found a soul mate yet?" The deep voice of Ragnok asked.

"Ah, well he has been rather close to young Hermione, but it is too soon to tell. And there still are two more."

"True. Well we shall see. I fear this meeting may raise more questions."

"Indeed."

At this Harry blacked out completely, waking up sitting in his chair what felt like only a few minutes later. Indeed, it must have been because soon thereafter Griphook returned. He handed a large stack of files to Ragnok who reviewed tem, quietly passing them off to Dumbledore. Then something caught Ragnok's eye.

"I believe you should both see this."

At that statement, Dumbledore moved over to see the parchment now held by the bank director. When Dumbledore's eyes shot wide open, Harry knew this was big.

"Well then."

"Indeed."

"Mr. Potter." Ragnok began. "It seems you are betrothed."

This shocked Harry. "Betrothed? As in Married?"

"Yes, betrothed as in pledged to wed a young lady."

"Wow."

"Would you like to know who it is, Harry?" Dumbledore's grandfather instincts seemed to be kicking in. It felt like more than Harry could take.

"Who is it sir?" Harry was putting on his most composed countenance, but he could feel it breaking.

"One Daphne Greengrass, it would seem. She is a Slytherin in your year."

"Yes sir." Harry nodded mutely as he reflected on this. One of the other women whose fall had affected him so much during that battle he remembered. How could this be happening. Worse yet, how could anyone put him and Daphne into this situation. She deserved to fall in love on her own. That struck an idea.

"Sir, is the contract permanent?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter?" Ragnok seemed a bit shocked by his question.

"I mean is there any way to cancel the contract. I may not know too much about her, but Daphne really is a wonderful woman and does not deserve to be trapped in anything like this." His response drew a large grin from the others present in the room. This young man indeed did not have a care for the 'traditions' of wizarding society and it was refreshing.

"Well indeed there is, Mr. Potter, but breaking it would cost the offending party a great deal." Ragnok reflected on his words for a moment. "Well, it would not cost you too much, but it would indeed ruin the Greengrasses."

"So I could break it and it would not harm them?"

"Indeed you could Mr. Potter."

"I would like to do that. But is it possible not to let them know?"

"Not a problem at all Mr. Potter. Your secrets are safe here."

"Thank you Ragnok. I appreciate that."

"It is indeed my pleasure."

"Yes, Thank you Director Ragnok. At this time, however, I'm afraid that young Mr. Potter and myself must be getting back. School tomorrow!"

After some goodbye's and Harry promising a return visit, they flooed back to Hogwarts before Dumbledore escorted him back to the Gryffindor common room. Before they could enter, Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"Harry, Keep in mind that your friends, your true friends, will stick beside you no matter what. And those who love you, they will do that and more."

Without another word and before Harry could respond, the old man swept himself away, gone in the blink of an eye. This left Harry confused as the portrait of the fat lady swung open. Harry carefully stepped inside and was immediately beset by a brunette haired missile which grasped him in a desperate hug.

"Harry where were you I was so worried and you just disappeared and now you're here and we are all so confused and I hope you're alright and-" Hermione was shut down as Harry did something unimaginable. He carefully withdrew himself from the rushing with and planted a deep kiss on her lips.

In that kiss was lost years of devotion and love. Each cared and loved one another from a distance, but in that moment they knew it was together. More than that, there was a feeling of contentment in that kiss.

What they both missed, and only a few others noted, was the blinding flash of light as their lips met.

Neville, who had waited up with Hermione, gasped at the brilliant light.

Ron, who had snuck downstairs to apologize to Hermione before his ex-best mate got back (I mean who would manage to fool the cup and not tell their best mate), was shocked.

One young blond in Slytherin felt the energy from the light flash through her and for some unexplained reason, it made her deliriously happy. For some reason it turned her thoughts to Harry.

In another place, one other young blond was sharing a similar experience to Daphne, though she had no idea as to why.

Dumbledore, Ollivander, Ragnok, and Dobby all smiled as they felt the energy burst forth.

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 _Wow._ Harry Thought. _I have wanted to do that for some time and it was well worth the wait._

"Was it really?" Harry suddenly looked down into the eyes of a blushing Hermione.

"Was it really what?"

"Worth the wait?"

 _Did I say that out loud?_

"Did you say what out loud Harry?"

Suddenly Harry heard or rather felt something else invading his thoughts.

 _Ok, this can't be a good sign. One kiss that I have waited over three years for and he forgets it after one question?_

Harry began laughing to himself.

"Mione, I could never forget kissing you. In fact, if you would grant me the privilege of becoming my girlfriend, I hope to do that many many more times. I was just distracted because….we, you were answering my questions when I was not even saying anything out loud."

This revelation drew a small gasp from Hermione. She stared up at him, her hands suddenly hiding her mouth. They were drawn out of their reverie when they heard Neville call from near the fire.

"Hey, what are these?"

"What are what, Neville?" Hermione asked as she moved over to join him. She did not, however, let go of Harry's hand in the process, a small fact which made Harry delightfully happy.

"Well you two kissed and there was a bright light, then these appeared. There seem to be one for each of you."

After a cursory glance at one another, Harry and Hermione each grasped the letter addressed to them and opened them.

 _Dear Mr. Harry James Potter,_

 _We at the Ministry of Magic were pleased to learn of you completing the first of your soul bonds today on November 1_ _st_ _, 1994 with Hermione Jane Potter nee Granger. We wish the two of you, and the rest of your bond mates, the best._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Ministry of Magic_

The look on Hermione's eyes as Harry finished his letter suggested hers said something similar. So you and married? What else could happen!


	4. Chapter 4: Emancipated?

After much more discussion, the three teens decided it was too late and they were far too tired to go on. Neville had explained that Soul Bonds, while not unheard of, were incredibly rare in the Wizarding world. When it came to souls, the magic associated was considered either the darkest available or the lightest of the light. In the case of soul bonds, there was nothing lighter.

Then the line about more bonds, which appeared in both Harry and Hermione's letter, confused them further. At least until Neville clarified that while Marriage with more than one with or wizard involved was looked down upon in general with the ministry, soul bonds superseded all wizard made laws.

Basically, if Harry had 100 soul bonds, he would have 100 marriages.

This statement proved to be too much. Neville lost himself laughing at the looks on Harry and Hermione's faces before saying his adieus.

Harry and Hermione just sat in silence for a bit longer.

At least it appeared to be silence amongst anyone else who was watching them

 _Harry?_

 _Yes Hermione?_

 _I'm scared._

Harry paused to look at the witch he held in his arms as she clung desperately to him.

 _Why is that, love?_

Harry felt Hermione's smile before he saw it when he called her love.

 _Well, married? At 14? And what about my parents? And school? There aren't any…rules or anything we need to worry about?_

 _Are you regretting it dear?_

Harry felt his own apprehension and insecurities sneaking forth. He was concerned about Hermione slipping and getting stuck in something she did not want. She was too brilliant to be getting dragged down by the likes of him. Maybe Ron…

His thoughts cut off with a smack on his arm.

 _Now stop that. Harry, Ron and I are only friends because of you. I don't really have a lot of friends. And now I am suddenly married to one of them through some obscure magic which will apparently bind us for life? A life spent with my best friend? There is nothing to regret there._

At this point, the 14 year-old witch who just that morning had been concerned about her looks stared deeply into her fri-husbands eyes before pulling him back in for a kiss. A kiss which seemed to ignite something in her and she found herself moaning.

It was apparently the wrong thing to do as Harry pulled back and spoke out loud.

"Are you alright?!"

Now Hermione let out a groan. She had just been starting to enjoy that. Of course Harry overheard her thoughts and began to grin.

"So you liked that, huh?" She smiled right back at him and smacked his arm.

"You prat. I'm going to get some sleep. Give me a goodnight kiss." With a radiant smile, she stood and stretched. The sight, though not truly erotic, took Harry's breath away. And Hermione felt his emotions through their bond. She gasped at the power of how she affected him. Her gasp galvanized him to action as the new tri-wizard tournament competitor jumped to his feet to take Hermione into his arms and planted a kiss squarely on her lips.

Neither saw their red-headed friend sitting on the stairs watching them. As he saw them pull apart, Ron quickly and quietly made his way up the stairs, throwing himself angrily into his bed, muttering.

Harry joined a few minutes later. Harry noticed Ron still awake.

"So How was the day Ron?"

"Fine."

Harry frowned at Ron's tone. He knew the two got into a fight earlier, and he remembered Ron's reaction to his getting into the tournament, but he had hoped now that things would be different. Apparently he was wrong.

"So what happened tonight, Ron?" This seemed to be too much for Ron. The young boy sat up and glared at Harry.

"You mean besides you stealing the glory of getting into the tournament without telling your best friend how and then going on to steal his girl somehow?"

The venom in Ron's voice shook Harry. He was not sure how to react. He did catch on to one thing though, and that one thing cause Harry to have to fight a righteous rage building in his chest.

"Your Girl, Ronald?"

Harry watched Ron start to wither under his glare, but Ron was not done just yet.

"Aha, so you don't deny getting yourself into this tournament?"

Letting out a sigh, Harry fought back.

"Ron, I have already said I did not do it. Just like I was not Slytherin's heir. If you choose not to believe me, even though we have claimed to be best mates for over three years now, that is your decision."

Letting that fall onto Ron's ears, Harry rolled over and drew up the covers. As he did, he heard Hermione's voice in his head.

 _You alright love?_

 _Fine. Just dealing with Ron the Prat._

 _Ah._

 _You already knew it was coming, didn't you?_

There was no accusation in his voice, just tired resignation. He had seen how Ron treated Hermione. While had had future memories of the two getting together, their past seemed to suggest they would not work.

Unfortunately, Hermione heard that thought.

 _Ron and I? Together?_

 _Uhhh…_

 _Harry James Potter…._

 _Hermione, I think we need to talk…_

 _Yes._

 _About a lot of things._

 _We do._

Harry could hear the anger simmering and was looking for a new angle. Then he realized he had it.

 _How about tomorrow, after breakfast, I introduce you to a new room that none of the staff or students at Hogwarts knows about?_

Harry felt her considering his request and just hoped, desperately, that she would agree. Finally, after a few minutes, he felt her relent.

 _Fine, but I want a full explanation._

 _Yes Hermione._

 _And Harry?_

 _Yes?_

 _I love you._

 _I love you too Hermione. More than I could ever say._

Harry had already felt her dozing off as he finished his statement. He moved his hand and felt the curtains close around him as well as the wards go up.

Indeed, something strange was going on, but this new wandless and soundless casting stuff was cool at least.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

The next morning, Harry found Ron's bunk abandoned.

The worst was seeing the other bunks abandoned.

The only person still around was Neville, who just offered a sad smile.

"You know I believe you."

Harry smiled in return, extending his hand to the shy Gryffindor.

"Thanks Neville. I appreciate that more than you'll ever know."

As the two made their way downstairs, joined shortly by Hermione, there were stares and even glares abounding. Harry almost felt himself wilting, but the support of Hermione beside him and Neville, whom he had seen rise to become a hero of the war, on his other side gave Harry the strength to keep going. The three settled in and though no one else seemed brave enough to join them, began to enjoy a nutritious meal provided by the Hogwarts House Elves.

Everything went well until Harry heard a dreaded voice from behind him.

"Well if it isn't the little cheater himself. Thanks for that, by the way, I needed something besides scarhead."

While others began to tense, waiting for Harry to explode, the young man in question just kept eating. Considering what Harry knew about future Draco and what his life had become, Harry could not care less what that piece of filth said to or about him. If he commented on Neville or Hermione though…

"And now associating not only with a mudblood, but a squib as well? Pity Potter, how far you have fal-"

Draco collapsed as several things happened at once. Hermione and Neville were both turning red with embarrassment at being referred to as such, but trying to be strong like Harry and ignore him. Harry suddenly disregarded that approach. Though no one noticed, Harry wandlessly sent an engorgio spell sent at Draco's chest followed by a boil hex to his crotch and a slug gagging hex to his face. No one noticed these last two as the blond ponce suddenly sprouted tits. Then, as the gasps rose from the room, Harry silently and calmly rose to his feet. Everyone was watching for his wand, but no one could find it. Harry turned to face the now cowering Draco. He leaned in close to whisper just to the top-heavy boy.

"Draco, I don't really care what is said about me. You may be right or wrong, but it won't change anything, so get over yourself." Harry paused and Draco seemed to let out the breath he had been holding. Harry waited until all of the tension in the young Malfoy seemed to have faded before continuing. "If you ever refer to or talk about my friends in a manner as you seem to feel you are allowed to so freely throw around again, and I will finish this job permanently." Here, Harry indicated Draco's new breasts for emphasis. As Harry turned to sit, a voice called to him from the Head table.

"100 points from Gryffindor!" Snape's screech made Harry smile. He turned to face the greasy haired one.

"No." The room fell into a shocked silence once more. Even Snape seemed to struggle for words.

"Excuse me?" Harry grinned, but it was a grin which would have made Death Eaters run in fear. Snape himself was feeling that way right at that moment.

"I said No. But then with so much grease used to care for your hair, we can't be sure some does not plug your ears, so I shall repeat it. No." This time Professor McGongall spoke from her side.

"Mr. Potter! As your Head of House-"

"You will prove I am the guilty party before deducting points from myself. I have been unwillingly named a champion, a fact which every headmaster, every champion, including Hogwarts true Champion, Mr. Diggory, and even Mr. Snape can attest to based on my wizards oath." a gasp from the room, "On top of that, Mr. Malfoy is allowed to wander here to spread his lies and cruel words, even though anyone who has ever sat in a class knows Draco is far closer to a squib level than Neville, while you professors do nothing. I may come to regret this, but you cannot punish me as a part of this school unless you prove it, according to the ruling of my legal guardian. In addition, I claim a blood feud between the Snape Line and Potter due to inhumane treatment of a holder of a life debt!"

Harry's final words rang through the room as all eyes stood in shock. Professor McGongall looked like she was trying to reclaim some semblance of control and turned slowly toward the Headmaster.

"The ruling of his legal guardian?" At Harry's nod, the Headmaster offered his own words.

"Indeed. Based on the Ministry's own rules, only a legal adult can compete in this tournament. As two ministry representative as well as myself, as Mr. Potter's current guardian, agreed that Mr. Potter had to compete, even against his will, he is recognized as an emancipated minor." Dumbledore was a tad annoyed at the blood feud piece, but that was Severus' own doing due to his inability to see beyond.

These words began to shock the room. Instantly there was a great deal of swearing and screaming and shouting. Several dark families looked sick. The few in the know were aware that between the Black and Potter families, nearly every economic power in the wizarding world owed them debts which could bankrupt them. Not only were the initial debts massive, but over the past decade most had failed to pay them appropriately and with no lord in place to enforce the debts, there was no way for Gringotts to collect. The interest built on most alone would ruin over half of them.

It was Harry's voice which calmed the room.

"Professor Snape, I am calling that debt due! From this day forth, as long as you teach a course at Hogwarts School of Whichcraft and Wizardry, you must treat each and every student fairly. Not merely the same, but fairly and to the best of your ability on the honor not only of your magic, but your claim to be a potions master. Prove it to us sir!"

With that Harry sat. Dumbledore from his throne at the front smiled. Harry had just found a loophole. Albus had always let Severus get away with his cruelty because it kept him in the good graces of the dark families as a spy. Now, with Harry's declaration, Professor Snape would have to be a good professor for once. Albus just hoped the young man could manage that.

As the room broke into a noisy chaos once more, Harry let Hermione slip from the room. She was going up to the Gryffindor tower and would meet him in the Common Room shortly. Harry wanted to chat with Neville a bit more and since it was a Saturday, there was no reason to rush off. Hermione was just going to get some parchment, a quill, and ink to take notes.

Therefore, it was just thirty more minutes before Neville said his goodbyes as he headed for the greenhouses. Harry moved to make his way up the stairwell when he was dragged into an open classroom. Harry's memories left him twitchy and in an instant, is wand was out and focused on the new threat.

It took a moment for his min to register exactly whom this threat was. When he did, Harry felt his heart race, though he truly had no idea why.

Stepping from the Shadows of the classroom to stand before him was none other than his recently betrothed, Daphne Greengrass.

"Mr. Potter, I need to speak with you."

Harry could feel through his connection Hermione getting Antsy that he had not returned just yet. He turned back to Daphne, trying to focus on the young witch.

"Yes, can we set up some time to talk later?" Daphne seemed confused. Then she put her Ice Queen face back on.

"Mr. Potter, it is a Saturday and what I need to speak with you about is of the utmost importance. It has a large impact on my family, myself, as well as you." There was a slight break in her shield. Instantly Harry knew what she wanted to discuss.

"You want to talk about the marriage contract."

"How did you- right, emancipated minor." The look of shock faded nearly as fast as it appeared. "I just want the chance to get to know my betrothed before we actually must marry."

Harry looked at the blond witch. While he knew he should tell her the contract was gone and she was free, there was something about her. It might have been in the eyes or perhaps more so in the way she stood, but she needed him.

And some part of him said he needed her.

"Ms. Greengrass, I am running late for a meeting. There are several things which I believe we must make you aware of. Would you care to join me for this meeting as my plan is to relate all of this?"

Daphne smile, briefly, at him and took his hand. As he took off, she simply followed hoping none of the Slytherins saw him holding her hand. It wasn't that it made her feel uncomfortable. She rather enjoyed the feel of his hand around hers. It was more what they would do when she returned to the dungeon.

As they arrived at the portrait of the fat lady, Daphne's brain reengaged.

"We?"


	5. Chapter 5: Revealed!

Just as Hermione was preparing to start yelling at Harry over the link when the portrait opened and he jumped through. She was on him in an instant, preparing to get her answers, when his hand came up to stop her short.

"Let me grab something first, ok Hermione?" At Hermione's questioning look, he continued. "Hermione, please, trust me?"

The look in his eyes and the honesty she felt through the bond moved her. She nodded and said she would wait at the bottom of the stairs for him. Harry gave her his crooked grin and the young with felt herself shiver. The smile did have such an effect on her.

Harry returned a few minutes later with his invisibility cloak, and grabbed to hand of a very confused Hermione Granger. He quickly led her over to the exit. As they left, they met his guest.

"Daphne?"

"Hermione?" The two witches looked at one another in shock for a moment. For Hermione, she was confused as to how her husband who was known for his dislike of Slytherin's was here with a Slytherin. Daphne was confused as to how her conversation with her betrothed could possibly include Hermione.

"Wait, you two know one another?" Harry's shock pulled them both from their stares. They nodded back at him and jumped into an explanation.

"Well of course. We happen to both be in Ancient Runes and Arithmency together."

"As some of the only non-Ravenclaws, we had to join forces."

"Indeed. Daphne has been my partner in both classes for over a year now."

Harry stared back and forth for a minute. Then letting out a laugh which startled both witches, he tossed the cloak to Daphne. At her questioning look, he explained.

"That is my dad's invisibility cloak. I figure this way we can get through the castle without getting you into too much trouble with the rest of Slytherin or the ire of Gryffindor. While I have no idea what the result of our discussion will be, I assure you that I have no desire to see you in trouble. Now then, shall we be off? I did promise Hermione a new room no one knows about."

Without waiting for a response, Harry turned and strode off toward another part of the 7th floor. The two witches shared a quick look before Daphne threw on the cloak and the two left to follow the odd fourth year champion.

As they arrived in front of a tapestry, both once more gave Harry an odd look. He simply grinned back. It was that crooked grin which had such an effect on Hermione. Harry could feel that. What neither knew was that it was having an effect on Daphne as well. After the grin, Harry began walking back and forth. Both witches missed another grin as a door formed. Harry opened it and invited them in.

Inside of the room was a few couches as well as a table and a fireplace were situated for them. Hermione would have thought nothing of the table if not for Daphne's gasp and rushing over to the basin sitting on it.

"Is this really a Pensive?"

"Indeed!" Harry's confidant response to her question got both witches attention. Hermione had read a small bit about the device, but seeing one in person was new. Both brilliant witches immediately fell upon it. It took a few minutes for them to settle back down into their seats. Harry stood before them, seeming to consider things. He turned first to Daphne.

"I have a great deal to share with Hermione. I will speak with you about our business if you like, but if you would care to hear everything else, I would like your permission to discuss ours before Hermione." Harry had no idea why he wanted to share everything not only with Hermione but Daphne as well. Something was drawing him to her. She had never been rude or cruel to him and did not fit well with the same group as Malfoy. Daphne seemed to be considering his request.

"Well, seeing as Hermione and I speak quite a bit and so do the two of you, if she is ok with it then so am I." Both turned their attention to Hermione. She seemed to be deep in thought, but Harry could hear those.

 _Everything?_

 _It only seems fair love._

 _Are you sure about this?_

 _I'm not. But that is why I have you. To keep me grounded. Still, something is asking me to tell her. And I feel I can trust her, at least if you do._

Hermione considered his words. Finally, she acknowledged the idea of sharing with a short nod.

 _Thank you._

"Ladies, I have quite a bit to tell, most of which will be wild and seem insane. That is why I brought this device. I would like to share a memory with you. Understand that dreams cannot be shared in a Pensive, only memories. As such, I have to have experienced what you see here. I will swear on my magic that what you see is untampered with to my knowledge if you like?"

Both girls seemed lost at this. What could possibly be so big that he would need to make an oath? As they sat, watching, Harry took that as acceptance and removed the memory from his head. With few other options, both girls leaned forward and soon found themselves within the memory of the end of the Ministry of Magic. Upon their exit from the memory, both looked incredibly pale.

"What…What was that?" A Shaken Hermione asked.

"It was the fall of the Ministry of Magic."

"But is hasn't fallen." Daphne did not seem so sure. The memory was so real.

"No, it has not."

"Then…"

"Would either of you believe me if I said I had memories of the future?" The looks on their faces shifted from disbelief to confusion to anger. Hermione nodded her head in acceptance. Hermione's reaction was mitigated as she recalled him predicting her day leading up to joining the tournament. Of course it was not Hermione's response which shocked them both.

"Yes."

Both pairs of eyes shot to the blond Slytherin.

"Well…thank you Ms. Greengrass."

"Daphne, please."

"Then it is Harry. And I appreciate your trust."

"It is kind of hard to ignore a Pensive. But how does this factor into other business?"

"Well, first, I need you both to know that at one point, I did in fact have a betrothal contract with Ms Daphne Greengrass."

"You did?" Was the duel response, but for different reasons. Hermione was shocked that betrothals still existed. Daphne was shocked at the past tense expression.

"Indeed. But I personally felt that was a bit archaic so I canceled it and agreed to take the penalty in order to protect your family from the damage."

Once more shocked expressions. Daphne knew the Potters were well off, but that contract was massive. If Harry had eaten the cost, that was huge. Hermione was shocked that anyone could place their child in such a thing in this day and age. Harry reached out in the silence and grasped Daphne's hand.

"Daphne, you deserve the chance to find happiness and love. There is no reason for you to be stuck with me."

"I…I…thank you Harry. I'm not sure what to say. For both my family and I, thank you."

Now there was a childish grin on Harry's face, prefacing his next statement.

"Besides, I am already married."

"WHAT?!" Daphne exploded. The next shock was that there was not a similar response from Hermione. As she turned, she saw the bushy haired with growing very very red. "You?"

Suddenly Daphne felt a bit cheated. She'd had Harry Potter and he had broken the contract. For some reason, that did hurt a bit. And suddenly he was married to his best friend. He could not fault either one that, but married at 14 and 15?

And for a reason she could not explain, it bugged her that it was not her. With a bit more of a huff than she intended, Daphne congratulated them.

"That's wonderful, but how? Surely your parents would not have let you get married Hermione." As she said the words, her brain clicked. Daphne had heard tales of one option where people were married no matter the age. "You two are soul bonded!"

"Well, you see, it was just that, when Harry, when his name, and then, well." Hermione looked at her hands, stumbling over her words. Harry walked over and knelt before her before the frantic witch, taking her hand in his. As their eyes met, Daphne could feel the care. The love between them was nearly palpable.

She wanted to find that.

"Its ok love. I am not ashamed. I love you."

It took Hermione a few more minutes to get herself under control, but Daphne marveled at the strength in the look she finally returned to Harry.

"Neither am I, my husband. I love you too."

 _Thank you Harry_

After a moment, the two turned back at Daphne's clearing of her throat.

"So you knew what was going to happen?"

"Yes."

"And you knew your name would come out of the goblet?"

"Yes."

There was a tense moment as Daphne's ice blue eyes met Harry's green.

"Did you put your name in it?" There was no accusation, no tension, just an honest question. Harry had not expected that coming from Daphne. It shook him for a second before he responded.

"No, I did not."

"Ok." Her response once more threw him for a loop. Hermione reached over and squeezed Daphne's hand in appreciation as Harry pulled himself back together.

"Thank you Daphne, I appreciate that."

"No problem. Hermione trusts you, so I will to. That said, what were you planning on doing with all this future knowledge of yours?"

"I'm honestly not sure. I'm scared to change anything, but failing to change it leads us back to that destruction you saw, and that was already after the war."

"WAR?!" Daphne and Hermione were back in stereo. Harry took another breath.

"Yes. War. The same one I supposedly stopped in '81 when I lost my family. Voldemort returned and picked right back up where he started from because we had not changed a bloody thing."

"Language Harry. Still, that does not sound good. And how could Voldemort return?"

"Yeah, He is dead…right?"

Rather than answer, Harry pulled his memory from the third task from just before he and Cedric grabbed the cup. It showed up until his capture by Moody. He dropped the memory into the Pensive for the witches to view. With a scared glance, they both jumped in.

Two visibly shaken witches returned about an hour later. With tears in their eyes, both grasped desperately to Harry. What Harry had gone through, the curses, the torture, the teasing and abuse, all against his own willingness to play bait was cruel, rude, and awful. Both felt for him. And both wanted to make it better.

After taking some time to get the two back under control, Harry discovered why they were the top two in their year. Both instantly jumped into to ask clarifying questions.

"So Moody put your name in?"

"No, he was a supposedly dead death eater by the name of Barty Crouch Jr. on Polyjuice Potion."

"And that was really Wormtail helping him?"

Harry responded positively and took a few minutes to explain his godfather's innocence to Daphne.

"Can't we just tell the DMLE where this thing is?"

"And what would we tell them? Not to mention the support that Voldemort has there?"

Questions finally started to taper off as the three settled into peaceful silence. Finally, it was Hermione who broke it.

"So you have to compete?"

"It seem that way. Which means I should probably do some training." His joke earned him a slap from bother other occupants of the room. Letting out a large sigh, Hermione spoke.

"Well then I suppose I should start studying. We need to come up with a plan for…for…well, everything! How else will you get through this?!"

"I did once before."

"With my help." Hermione stated it, but felt like it was more of a question. She was suddenly very worried. Had she abandoned him in the previous experience of his?

"Yes dear, with a great deal of your help." He paused to consider Daphne. "And seeing as she still managed to stay so far ahead in all of her classes, my guess is she had some help though I cannot confirm that for you." This statement brought relief to Daphne. She was worried she had betrayed him. She had no idea one way or the other, but the idea of letting Harry down did not sit well with her.

"Well this time I will be a bit more vocal. Just please don't be offended if none of that support is public?"

Harry let out a laugh.

"That is fine Daph, thank you."

Daphne tensed at that. The other two noted that reaction. Hermione ventured.

"Daphne? You ok?" This shook the blond witch from her thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh yes, I'm fine." Harry went next.

"Did I say something wrong Daph?"

As he said it again, Daphne broke down into tears. Not knowing what else to do, Hermione and Harry both moved to grasp the sobbing witch in hugs. It took her some time to calm down, but as she managed that, the other two finally got their answer.

"I don't know if you know this, but the current Mrs. Greengrass is my stepmother. She is a wonderful woman, but she married my father just before I left for Hogwarts. My mother passed away from a severe case of Dragon Pox when I was seven. She…She…She used to call me Daph and is the only one I've let do that." Harry tensed and immediately began apologizing. Daphne placed a hand on his shoulder and cut that off.

"I…I don't mind if you do it Harry. It feels ok. It actually feels nice. Thank you." At this she fully threw herself into hugging him, burying her face in his neck. Unsure of what else to do, Harry wrapped her in his arms and just held her as she cried herself out.

The three teens sat in the room until Lunch time. At that point, they agreed to separate so Daphne could keep things quiet for now. That said, all three agreed to meet regularly, immediately after dinner each day in the room of requirements starting the next day.

As Daphne departed, she missed the eyes following her down the corridor. The blond hair attached wanted a reaction. He was angry. He was pissed at Potter. His actions had shut up much of the school from giving him a hard time, but Draco felt he could get more. He had come up here to follow Potter. When Daphne exited the room, Draco got an evil grin on his face.

He turned to go put his plans in action.


	6. Chapter 6: Up to the Task

Daphne felt much lighter as she left the two Gryffindors. It was the lightest she had felt in years in actuality. With a grin on her face, she moved down the empty corridor.

The grin on her face vanished at the sound of a voice.

"Evening Greengrass. Coming from anything special?" Draco's silky tones came at her from the darkness. Daphne tensed and went to draw her wand.

"Ah ah ahh, I wouldn't try that if I were you. So tell me just what you were doing with Potter and the mudblood."

"What makes you think I would do anything with those Gryffindors?" Daphne had her ice queen persona back on in full force.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Draco suddenly appeared before her face. In the darkness, his albino face seemed to glow. If it wasn't for the situation, it would have been almost amusing. Considering, however, that the blond ponce had managed to sneak up on her it left her feeling rather…disconcerted. "I know you were just chatting with the two. And I don't like it."

"It isn't really any of your business." Daphne sounded far more confident than she felt at that moment.

"Ah, but it is. You see, any Slytherin getting close to Potter is a problem. And problem Slytherin's are dealt with in a most…delicious manner." Here Draco reached up to sniff a piece of Daphne's hair. As he let it fall, he faded from her sight. Daphne was even more haunted when she heard his voice once more. "Remember that, Ms. Greengrass, or your time in Slytherin shall become much…less…pleasant."

Daphne stood stock still for a moment. She would never have imagined that Draco could manage any of that. It did not mean it disgusted her any less, but it did mean she would have to pay very careful attention to the situation.

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Harry suddenly shot straight up in his seat, alerting Hermione to something.

"What's wrong Harry?"

"Shh." After a short pause where Hermione could hear nothing, including Harry's thoughts, she was starting to get impatient. Just as she prepared to let out a frustrated sigh, Harry spoke again. "Hmm, something was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure, but I could feel it. Fear, frustration, terror. Not my own emotions though, and not yours."

"That is…odd." Hermione responded. After a quick check of her watch, she grabbed Harry's hand. "We need to go or we will miss lunch!"

Harry let out a laugh as he followed his wife out of the room.

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Draco let out a laugh as he watched Daphne cautiously make her way down the hall again. He was not in Slytherin for nothing. Sure, he typically confronted Potter in front of others, but his true power in Slytherin came from his cunning. He tossed the invisibility cloak back to Nott.

"Thank you. That will keep her thinking. Perhaps we can use her."

"Use her or USE her?" was Nott's calloused response. Draco snorted in impatience.

"Is that all you think about? If it comes to that, fine, but it would be far better to…let her convince herself that is necessary." Draco looked to those surrounding him. The confused looks on Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle's faces bothered him. The slightly manic look in Pansy's eyes reminded him of his aunt Bellatrix for some reason. That thought sent a shiver down Draco's spine.

"Now for our next step. Here is how we intimidate Potter!"

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It was nearing the end of November and Harry was on his way to breakfast, having avoided people for long enough.

The first thing he noticed was the badges. They were the same as before. They all spoke of supporting Cedric. Harry's eye caught, however, when he saw Daphne wearing one. The blond had been very open to hanging out with him and Hermione at first, doing it whenever she could slip away. As of late, however, there seemed to be some problems and she was avoiding him.

Seeing her wear one of the badges hurt. Harry did not know why, but it did upset him. He tried to hide it, but as soon as their eyes met, the emotion must have shown because Daphne, Ice queen and all, began to tear up herself. Harry saw this and his heart went out to her, yet it hurt.

And it confused him.

Draco seemed to catch all of this and immediately pounced. Potter was out without his little mudblood, so this was the perfect opportunity. Especially after seeing his reaction to Greengrass.

"What do you think of our new badges, Potter? Thought they would work rather well to express the sentiments of the _entire_ school. What do you think? Doesn't everyone look good in them?" Draco's voice cut into Harry's thoughts. In an instant, emotions left Harry's face. He had been concerned about Daphne, but the look in her eyes and the reaction from Draco confirmed it. Daphne did not want this. He offered her a barely visible grin before turning his attention to Draco.

"Indeed, they are lovely. Were you in first, or even perhaps second year, they would truly be masterpieces. Being a fourth year, they are really more of a disappointment." Here Harry paused to look over at Cedric who he noticed was not wearing one of the incriminating badges. "Not that I disagree Cedric, you are the real Hogwarts Champion." Once more Harry turned back to face Draco who seemed lost. "Oh, Draco, are you still here? Ah, still on about the badges I see. Well let me give you a hand with that. See, a much better piece of spell work would be one that revealed certain messages to certain people. For example." Here Harry cast a quick silent spell. The movement and silence drew everyone's attention that it took a moment for them to register the change to Draco's badge.

"Support Draco Malfoy, a real Wizard's Wizard."

"Potter!"

"Oh, don't worry. The professors will only see your message about Cedric. Of course if that isn't good enough, how is this."

Harry case once more, again drawing a gasp from the crowd as he cast silently. The room stared in anticipation, unsure of what would be coming next. When nothing changed, everyone, including Draco, looked on puzzled.

"Oh, I supposed I should explain. I just attached the button to your magical core. As such, it will follow you permanently, or at least until I break the connection. I also added a lovely little charm so that you cannot hide it beneath a cloak. That would happen to include an invisibility cloak. And I added a cute little message for your father so he can hear all about this."

The entire room looked on in shock at what Harry Potter, average fourth year student, was telling them he had magically managed to do with one of Draco's little toys. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, many of them began to attempt to discreetly remove their own. Draco merely gaped, his mouth moving like a fish's. Harry leaned in so only Draco could hear him while discreetly winking at Daphne, who in turn blushed.

"Draco, if you ever threaten someone I care about again, I will remove your magical core. Are we clear?"

Draco suddenly found his voice. "You couldn't do that Potter!" His shout suddenly brought the entire collection of students back into the dispute.

Suddenly Harry was grinning maliciously. "Oh indeed I could and I will!"

"The professors would stop you!"

"Like they are stopping me right now?"

All the students turned to see the professors chatting away at the head table, completely ignoring the situation. Draco turned back to look at the dangerous glint in Harry's eyes.

"How…"

"Don't push me Draco. I shall no longer be kept in check. Touch even one hair on the head of someone I care for," Harry gave a purposeful nod to Daphne and Draco immediately caught on, "And I will ensure you never set foot within a magical establishment again. I shall remove your magical core, not bind it. You will become a muggle, not merely a squib. Do we understand one another?"

The room leaned in tensely, awaiting Draco's response. The young Slytherin nodded, fully cowed in the situation.

Harry proceeded to smile. "Good." Then he suddenly seemed to notice everyone watching him. With a slight grimace he waved his hand, casting a massive obliviate. It would not do for everyone to remember his skill and ability. He would leave it tucked away to insight fear within Malfoy. The boy would recall the show of power whenever he even considered harming Daphne or Hermione.

Harry winked at Daphne as everyone else recovered. She would also remember what happened.

Harry brought down the ward he had cast as he entered and suddenly felt Hermione screaming in his head.

 _HARRY! WHAT DID YOU DO! I CAN'T GET INTO THE HALL!_

 _Hermione, please calm down. I was dealing with some trash and discovered what has been going on with Daphne._

 _Oh…What has been going on?_

Harry smiled as he sat at his seat and Hermione plopped down beside him. The two continued their mental conversation as they piled food onto their plates.

 _Well apparently Draco has been playing with her emotions, using, I must admit, some rather cunning tactics. I reminded both her and him who the more powerful is and why he should simply leave her be._

 _And how did that go?_

 _Rather well, I do believe, but we shall have to see._

Hermione shook her head as she saw Harry's memories of the encounter.

"Only you, Harry Potter."

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Harry approached the Champion's Tent. He had already known what the first task would be, but as of yet had not come across a better plan than his previous one. His working knowledge of magic allowed him to understand that Great Dragons could see reason and he could use his parseltongue to speak with them. Sadly, none of the dragons from the task were Great Dragons. Most spell work he knew was designed to kill the Dragons and as these were nesting mothers, Harry did not consider that a true option.

Of course if the Dragon threatened anyone he loved, the no death thing would go right out the window.

Still, trying to outfly a dragon seemed like a silly idea. There was the option of portkeys or summoning the egg, but anti-summoning wards were easy to arrange and the entire school did not allow portkeys. Harry considered transfiguration, spelled sleep, or flat out attacking the Dragon and all had major down sides. Wards would be easiest, but those took hours to set up even basic ones.

So the question became what would Harry do differently.

His thought process was interrupted by first a hug from Hermione as he entered the tent and then a bright flash from a bulb.

Harry groaned before seething in rage. He would not be having neither he nor Hermione going through that again. Faster than thought possible, Harry moved to the camera man, Bozo or some silly name like that, and took his camera. He silently cast a quick spell, damaging the thing from actually taking photos, before handing it back. He noticed Rita approaching and carefully cast a few more spells at her.

While he was still trying to figure it out, this silent, wandless casting he suddenly had was truly working wonders for him.

The spells Harry cast at Rita would cause her to hear people plotting her demise in the background of any conversation, just loud enough to distract her. He also cast a spell, breaking the enchantment on her quick quotes quills, ensuring that Rita did not truly get enough to work with. He then turned to face her sickly sweet smile.

"Hello Ms. Skeeter, how can I help you today?"

Instantly Harry knew the spell had taken. Rita started looking around frantically before turning back to face Harry. She smiled once more, trying to focus as she pulled a quill from her bag. When it failed to react, she pulled another. After the fifth, she gave up and pulled forth a regular quill, preparing to take notes herself.

"Yes Mr. Potter, would you care to comment on today's task?"

"Nope."

Rita once more looked distracted. She shook her head and focused on him again.

"I see. Are you sure? Our audience is looking forward to learning more about the Boy Who Lived!"

"Well then you should find this mythical boy everyone seems to write about. As for me, I am Harry Potter. Thank you."

Without another word, Harry turned his back on the reporter. Hermione, who had stepped back as the older witch approached, snickered as she snuck out of the tent.

Rita looked ready to respond angrily, her face growing red.

However she would have responded was cut off with the entrance of the judges.

"Welcome Champions! Now for the first task!" Ludo Bagman shouted, drawing the attention of the other inhabitants of the tent. They had all been focused on Harry's reactions to Rita and for the moment, seemed…satisfied with it.

Harry heard the roar of a dragon as they four champions approached the judges.

Here we go, he thought.


	7. Chapter 7: Dealing with a Dragon

Harry sat in quiet contemplation, preparing himself for the dragon. He had drawn the Hungarian Horntail once more and was again going to be the fourth champion to enter the arena. He smiled considering the old gladiatorial fights against creatures. Because sadly that is what this was. Once upon a time, Dragons, as the ancient draconian race, had been intelligent beings. They could reason and dragon magic was the root behind elemental manipulation. That said, most great dragons had died off. The reason that most of the modern dragons breathed fire was due to this.

The great ice dragons were reclusive and lived in harsh environments. As their homes were in the extreme elements of cold, their bodies worked in reverse of most lizards. They needed cold for energy. As such, they had flourished during the Ice Age the earth had faced, but as time moved on, they slowly receded to the far north and south. It was well believed that ice dragons no longer existed.

The great water dragons, as expected, came from the great oceans. It was believed that explorers who had seen great sea beasts had actually found sea dragons. Of course, just as the muggle world had hunted whales, wizarding vessels had laid claim to a large portion of sea dragons for their hide, as it was beneficial to individuals seeking to traverse beneath the waves. Earth dragons had faced a similar fate, hunted from their caves and the like. As parseltongue was already seen as a trait of a dark wizard, no one was willing to admit they could speak it and therefore no one could speak to the great dragons. With a lack of communication, war was started. And at the time, wizards were experts in killing dragons.

And that gave Harry an idea.

Harry heard Cedric, Victor, and finally Fleur move to take their dragons as he sat in his meditative state. Harry had informed each of the Dragon task well ahead of the task this go round. When asked how he knew, Harry mentioned a friend had a brother who worked on a dragon preserve. The brother had informed them after the Quidditch World Cup that he would be seeing them again soon. Since the first task of the tournament was notorious for dealing with dangerous magical beasts. All three seemed skeptical of his advice.

Three days later, after Harry had been invited to go with Hagrid to visit the dragons, all three came by to apologize and thank Harry for the advice. Harry took the time to thank Cedric for not calling him a liar, regardless of his oath. When Cedric attempted to brush off the praise, Harry reminded him that other students, including Hufflepuffs, who had all seen his oath, still wore the badge. An embarrassed Cedric nodded his acknowledgement.

So the three had faced their dragons, all seeming nervous or scared, and Harry was unsure of how exactly he could support them. He gave each a smile as they left the tent. Cedric grinned right back and Victor gave him a grunt and nodded. He was still amused at Harry's handling of Rita Skeeter.

Fleur was different. She looked to be in tears and jumped when her name was called. While Harry knew he had been distracted in the previous attempt, he wondered if she had reacted this poorly then. He stood and moved to her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Fleur? I know this is a stupid question, but are you alright?" She snorted as his statement, something he found odd coming from the poised half vela.

"Oui, or as ready as I can be for this event." She stood, albeit on shaky legs, so Harry stopped her once more.

"Fleur, you can do this. I promise. Show that dragon why you were chosen as a Champion." Harry did his best to portray strength and faith in the look he gave his fellow champion. She took a moment before looking at him and Harry could see tears forming in her eyes. When their eyes met, Harry almost felt her gasp before her eyes took on their own steely glint. She stood, once more with her head held high and a haughty look to her before relaxing and giving Harry a smile.

"Thank you, Meester Potter."

"Call me Harry, please."

"Oui."

And with that, she had left the tent to defeat her own dragon. All three of age champions faced down their own beasts and got their eggs. Fleur and Cedric received minor injuries while Victor walked away unscathed. That in mind, he did manage to get the dragon to crush a few of its own eggs.

And then Harry's name was called. He reviewed his plan once more before calmly, or at least he hoped he looked calm, stepping through into the Arena. As he once more saw the Hungarian Horntail before him, he smiled and muttered to himself while looking at the judges table.

"Ave, Emperator, morituri te salutant."1

Harry had carefully considered his plan, and it was now time to put it into action. One thing many did not know about dragons was they created their nests from materials associated with their elements. Ice dragons made nests from their own ice. Earth Dragons manipulated the earth surrounding them to worm nests, while Water Dragons needed materials grown and nurtured by their own water. And for Harry's plan to work, he would need those materials.

A Quick glance around the rock he had shifted to hide behind informed him that he was in luck, a new experience for Harry who always felt he was the unluckiest lucky guy to ever have lived. There, beneath the dragon and sticking out, was exactly what Harry needed. He cast a quick summoning charm which drew the materials to him.

Of course the dragon saw his head and wand poke from behind the rock. The Hungarian Horntail was not having a good day. She had been drugged, dragged to a foreign area with her new eggs, and had not been properly fed for the past three days. There were plenty of possible snacks all around, but the chains kept her from feeding. And as she saw a small snack enter the area, her only thought was safety for her nest and to eat. As such, when the little pile of meat waved his wooden stick to pull things from her nest, she did her best to attack.

Harry could feel the heat from the fire from behind his rock, so he began to work quickly.

Hermione sat in the stands. After Harry's actions in the great hall, Daphne had become more open about being friends with the two of them and as such, she was sitting beside him. The three had spent a lot of time pursuing the Hogwarts library as well as using the Room of Requirement to attempt to solve the trouble that was the first task. Ultimately, they had not come up with a plan they all liked, so the decision had been reached to have Harry summon his Firebolt and outfly the dragon.

Hermione thought back to the conversation. Harry seemed overly confident he could manage to outfly the dragon, a beast of the air, for some ridiculous reason. As such, she and Daphne had both begged him not to and yelled and stamped their feet. But seeing as no one had a better solution, they eventually gave in, asking him to be beyond careful.

What they did not know was Harry had out flown the dragon once before.

And What Harry did not know was that there had been liquid luck in his meal that morning. The dragon, had it not escaped its chain and followed him, would have instead gone on to attack the crowd the instant the preserve wizards approached. And had the dragon not hit Harry with its tail, Harry would have lost control of his broom due to the excess magic flowing from him and driven at extreme speed headfirst into the arena wall.

This time the fake Moody had not given Harry Liquid Luck.

Not that it mattered. Harry's reflections on the Dragon slayers of old, who were where legends of elemental magic came from, had given him the idea of how he could manage this.

Harry calmly stepped from around the stone and quickly dropped his treasurers in a circular pattern. He faced the dragon just in time to throw his final piece directly at the dragon itself, into the stream of fire as required.

As Harry stood, seemingly ready to be engulfed by fire, the crowd was silent. Hermione and Daphne were clinging to one another in terror. Harry, in order to focus on the task, had shut Hermione out of their mental link. It was something she had planned to rudely remind him was unacceptable later. For now, she just needed him to survive.

Daphne watched in pure horror. Harry had come to be a very good friend. She could even say she had grown to love him, though the ice queen had difficulty admitting that. As Harry stood ready to be engulfed in flame, she screamed just as hysterically as Hermione, the two cutting into one another's arms with their finger nails as they clung together in fear for their friend/husband.

While most of the crowd sat in terror, no one saw the smile which graced both Dumbledore and Moody's faces, though they were for very different reasons.

The shock wave of magic which erupted as the flame's met Harry caused everyone to collapse back into their seats. The shock and the flash took a moment to wear off, so it was an incredibly shocked group that watched as Harry simply walked over to the nest, lifted the golden egg, and walked away. The dragon spit fire a few more times, which seemed to have no effect, and attempted to crush this bug. Unfortunately, Harry's seeker reflexes did give him the advantage on the ground as he rolled and avoided being stomped on.

Just as Harry reached the edge of the arena, the Dragon suddenly became free of its bonds. As Harry heard the snap, he quickly sat the egg down and turned just in time to see the dragon moving to attack the crowd.

Harry, knowing he was too far away to get to the crowd in time by running, drew his wand and cast a switching spell on himself. He knew this was dangerous and had a high possibility of failing, but he had few other options.

Luckily for both him and the crowd, it worked. Harry was suddenly witting on the arena wall directly in front of Daphne and Hermione. As the dragon began to breathe its fire, Harry clapped his hand together, his arms fully extended. As he did, flames erupted from his hands and moved to form a wall. The flames were hot, and the crowd could feel the heat. It did not burn, but it was enough to be uncomfortable. Still, it was better than the flames of a dragon hitting them.

The entire arena watched in shock as the flames seemingly cast in a wandless manner by Harry Potter ate the flames from the dragon. The dragon kept blowing until it truly wore itself out, collapsing on the ground.

As the wall Harry formed dissipated, there was a slight pause before the crowd erupted in cheers. Harry heard none of this. The wall had disappeared because he fainted. Daphne and Hermione barely had time to grab him before he fell.

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Harry woke with a screaming headache. His whole body hurt, but he could not feel burns anywhere. He searched deep within for his magic and felt a small flicker. That meant he had depleted his magical core.

He could feel he was in a bed, which suggested the infirmary. In addition, he could feel two someones holding his hand while there was arguing in the background. He noted the voices being between the various judges. They seemed to be arguing about points. There was a debate if Harry should receive points for having used a ritual during the task, something well known to be illegal in Britain. The judges still deciding that probably meant he was still in the medical tent.

As Harry listened, he became aware of sniffling from either side of him. With a slight groan, he opened his eyes. That was all it took as all noise in the tent stopped. Harry turned to his right, finding Hermione's bushy hair there. He felt her place his glasses on his face and smiled appreciatively at her as he reopened his mind to thank her.

 _HARRY JAMES POTTER! DON'T YOU EVER DARE EVEN THINK OF TRYING TO DO THAT TO ME EVER AGAIN! YOU ARROGANT OBNOXIOUS ARSE!_

At this point the young witch broke down in tears and hugged him.

"I love you Harry. I can't lose you. Please don't let me lose you."

Harry hugged her back with one arm.

"I won't, my love. I love you, always and forever."

Harry suddenly became aware of the grip on his other hand and looked over to see a teary eyed Daphne sitting there. He offered her a smile before he was drawn back to the rest of the room.

"Mr. Potter, there seems to be some debate about what exactly you did out there. Would you mind sharing with us?" The twinkle was back in Dumbledore's eye full force and Harry had to keep himself from laughing.

"No problem at all, Headmaster. I was considering the history of the great dragons and how they were hunted to near extinction by wizarding kind. Many do not realize just what is required to take down a dragon. Earth Dragons could manipulate earth, Water Dragons to water, and Ice Dragons over ice. Today, great dragons no longer exist because they were killed off by us, but considering the number of dragons required just to corral a dragon today who are nowhere near as powerful as the ancient great dragons, how could they stand up to it.

"Well, that is where the idea of elemental mages comes from. There was a ritual which would grant the caster abilities over dragon magic. In the case of a fire dragon, ability to control dragon fire and to be impervious to dragon flame."

"But if this is possible, why would no one use this magic on the preserves?" This came from Hermione, back in learning mode and rather upset that Harry had not shared such knowledge with her.

"Well, a few reasons really. First, you need some serious materials to complete the ritual. It takes carving of the runes in materials from that dragon. For example, to cast it over an ice dragon, you must carve the runes into pieces of ice from the ice dragon. In this case, I needed obsidian formed by the dragon. It just so happens this was a material used in the dragon's nest.

"You also must carve the runes just before the ritual. At that point, the material is still imbued with elemental energy, which is also known as dragon magic. The longer the material is away from the dragon, the energy fades. So I took a chance that this nest was created by the Hungarian Horntail. Luckily for me, it was." This earned Harry a slap on the shoulder from both Hermione and Daphne as well as gasps from around the room as they heard about this.

"The final component of the ritual is a transmutation rune which must be powered by the dragon itself. Hence this would only work if the final rune was cast into the dragon fire before returning to my runic circle. Should any element of that failed, I would have been burnt to a crisp.

"And finally, as for why it is a rarely seen ritual these days, besides the inherent danger. It is a ritual only found in ancient family grimoires. The Potter's happen to be renowned fire elementals once upon a time. This ritual happens to be how witches and wizards are able to gain elemental magic. And since it is family magic, it can only be shared once you become a member of the family."

While there was still much more discussion and clarification, it was decided that since this was a task and since Harry had used family magic, he could not be punished for it. This did not, of course, stop Karkaroff from only giving Harry two points, claiming it was his fault that the chains broke due to the magic from the ritual. When all was said and done, Harry received 42 points, getting perfect scores from every other judge, even if it did include warnings to not be so foolhardy in the future.

After being released by the school healer, Harry was dragged to the Room of Requirement by both Hermione and Daphne. As soon as they arrived, Hermione situated herself in his lap and proceeded to kiss him silly. There was a silly grin on his face as she left. It was to the point that he did not see the nod from Hermione nor Daphne moving in. He did not really register anything until their lips met.

Daphne had been just as worried for Harry as Hermione. She had been pacing and scared. And, for her sake, Hermione had noticed. After a long, heated discussion where Hermione demanded to know how Daphne felt about Harry and the Slytherin admitting she had deep feelings for the green-eyed one, Hermione made her case.

"I don't know what will happen in the future, but right now he needs all the love and caring he can get. He is, apparently, my husband, but he needs to know how much you care. And he cares for you too. So here is the plan…"

That plan had led them here, with Daphne kissing Harry. Hermione watched in awe as a bright light erupted from the two of them as they kissed and a magical energy washed over her. She felt oddly satisfied with this.

In another place, a young blond felt a stronger pull this time, yet contentment.

Dumbledore, Ollivander, Ragnok, and Dobby smiled once more, feeling another element of their defender of magic come to fruition.

Harry and Daphne pulled apart, a smile on both their faces.

"Wow." Harry grinned as the usually poised young witch seemed at a loss for words. It was a gasp from Hermione which drew their attention.

"Yes wow, and look at this!"

There, sitting on the table near them that the room had provided, sat a letter addressed to each Daphne and Harry. Harry, still holding Daphne's hand, picked up one of the envelopes.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"You should open it and see Harry." Hermione prodded him. Harry did so, to find another letter addressed to him, recognizing his bond and therefore marriage to Daphne Ann Potteer nee Greengrass.

 _Shite. Daphne is going to kill me._

"Why would I kill you Harry?" Daphne had not yet seen the letter. She was still slightly distracted by the kiss. Hearing those words brought her around though.

 _Daphne, look at me please?_ Harry thought. He was hoping she would notice the difference. He saw her bring her eyes to meet his and he could hear her own chaotic thoughts.

 _Well I did enjoy that kiss, but he is apparently married to Hermione. This was just to show him I care. I need to get over it. No, stop. It was just a kiss._ Her eyes met his.

"It was not just a kiss, Daphne Ann." _It was a magically wonderfully astounding kiss. One which, with your permission, I hope to repeat._

Daphne smiled at the last before she noted his lips were not moving.

"What…"

Harry simply handed her the letter. Not knowing how else to respond, as Daphne reached the end of the letter, she fainted.

 **1 – Hail Emperor, those who are about to die salute you**


	8. Chapter 8: Enter Gabrielle

Daphne came to with two very worried faces hovering over her.

"Ugh, what happened?" This drew a snicker from Hermione.

"Well, you kissed Harry, got married, then fainted. A dramatic one, aren't you?"

Daphne glared at the brunette. Then what the girl said clicked.

"Married?" Seeing the nod from Hermione, she turned to Harry for confirmation. He slowly, and gently, handed her the letter confirming the news.

"So it seems."

"I don't understand. How can that be? You were already married to Hermione."

"According to this letter from the Ministry, we are soul bonded. It was the same way when I kissed Hermione. Neville tells us there was a flash and then these letters appeared."

The three sat in silence for a minutes. Daphne, lost in her own thoughts, was soon drawn out by Harry's ruminations.

 _Two bonds. Why does this feel familiar? It still feels incomplete though._

 _What is incomplete, Harry?_

Daphne had not been expecting to hear Hermione's voice. There was a crashing sound in her head as voices became repetitive as each reflected on the voice. It was becoming overwhelming and after a moment, Daphne threw hear hands over her ears and screamed. This scream, however, was out loud and caused both Hermione and Harry to flinch. They turned and saw the slightly manic look in Daphne's eyes. Both immediately knew what had happened.

It had been similar for them with their bond. Their first day or so after had been painful due to the experience. Not only did they hear their own thoughts, they heard the other mate's reflection and consideration on them. It made for a very busy mind.

It had taken a full day of practice and headaches to manage to tame their minds in such a way to balance one another. Luckily for Daphne, she had two experienced people to assist her.

"Daphne, look at me."

The blond turned to face him, but her eyes were really not focused. She had the thousand-yard- stare going on. This caused Hermione to also kneel down in Daphne field of vision. She then reached her hand before the blond and snapped her fingers.

"Daphne. Daphne! DAPHNE!" This final call brought the Slytherin witch to her senses. Which naturally caused her to hear the voices once more. The other two watched her wince.

"Easy Daphne. Harry and I went through the same thing. You are currently tied to us and have all of our minds talking to one another. Not really sure why. But we will help you through this. First, you must focus on one voice at a time. Can you do that? Focus on Harry's thoughts."

The trio would spend the rest of their time until curfew helping Daphne learn to navigate this new experience. She had Occlumency training, and the ideas behind that tied in nicely with what Harry and Hermione had developed. Still, with her dealing with two additional voices in her head suddenly as opposed to the one the Gryffindors had faced, it still took time and focus for her to overcome the strain.

It was a very tired group that left the Room of Requirement. Daphne said her goodbyes, kissing Harry and then, after a moment's hesitation, giving Hermione a peck on the cheek as well.

It was this very Happy Daphne who began her stroll back to the Slytherin common room. She was stopped by one Draco Malfoy and his goons, but halfway through the blond's rant about how she should be thrilled he was considering her, the ponce suddenly got a haunted look on his face before he randomly turn and fled. It was a very confused Crabbe and Goyle who found him half an hour later lying in his bed with his knees drawn to his chest lying in his bed. While the two brutes were not the brightest, they knew the image this would set for their leader. They quickly drew the curtains around the boy before going to work on their own homework.

Neither the Slytherin trio nor Daphne noticed on odd fourth-year in Green and silver watching the events from the shadows. They also missed the feral grin forming on the features of said Slytherin as they snuck back into the shadows.

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Two days after the First Task, Harry was held after his joint Transfiguration class with the Slytherins. McGongall had made her announcement about the Ball and Harry knew what was coming next. As such, he was unsurprised when the elder Scott mentioned making sure he had a date for the ball.

Waiting outside had been both Hermione and Daphne as well as the rest of the Gryffindor fourth years not to mention several from Slytherin. This included each and every female in their year.

Harry groaned as they watched him, reflecting on his past few days.

Harry's days since the first task had become complicated. Whereas before the task, he received looks of disgust from the room, regardless of oaths, he was now the constant source of apologies. Offers of friendship abounded and there were many asking him to do tricks with fire. The first task had left Harry as a fire elemental. Harry had only told a small portion of the staff as well as Hermione and Daphne the details behind what he had done.

And naturally, this meant the entire school knew by the next morning. It had appeared in a special evening edition of the profit, considered supplemental to the Triwizard Tournament.

The DMLE had shown up shortly thereafter, requiring him to register. All elementals were required to be registered by the Ministry of Magic, they had noted, including how they had become such. Harry, for some reason, knew these two Aurors were flunkies for Fudge. As such, he had managed to get Susan to request her Aunt visit. When Amelia had arrived and discovered Two of her Aurors were here, claiming official DMLE business, but she had no records of it, she became livid. When they stated their purpose, she apologetically turned to Harry, noting that was what the law said.

So Harry, who was ever thankful for his random knowledge which had suddenly appeared, reminded her that prior to reaching his majority the Ministry was only required to know he was one, nothing more. In addition, he could, and he informed her he would, claim that it was family magic so nothing could be registered beyond the time and situation which had led to the change.

It was with a crafty grin which Amelia turned on her Aurors, informing them both they were on temporary suspension pending review of their actions and orders. In addition, she told them that should they ever attempt to supersede her authority again without express written permission, she would call them out not only for their position, but for an honor duel. Both Aurors, with well over a decade of experience, cringed at this idea. Amelia Bones was not a woman to cross in the political arena, but if it came to wands there were very few who lived who would dare to draw a wand on her, let alone actually fight her.

Harry knew he had needed the woman as an ally, and after she was done dressing down her Aurors, he had stepped in and asked if she might join he and her niece for lunch. The offer was quickly accepted.

And of course news of this was everywhere, making Harry yet again the center of attention.

So now Harry stood with all of these eyes hopefully watching him. The worst, however, was Daphne and Hermione. Both were looking at him expectantly. He had pressed them from his thoughts. With this situation, how was he supposed to pick one wife over the other. Could that be fair at all?

With a hall full of individuals hoping beyond hope that Harry would choose them to go to the Ball, Harry took a deep breath. This was not what he wanted. He just wanted to be Harry.

He would, apparently, never get that chance.

It was in this environment where Ron made his apology. The red-headed one came closer to Harry, his eyes diverted and his cheeks blazing.

"Harry mate, ummm, well, you see…" There was a sullen pause. Everyone else was watching closely.

"Yes Ron?" In the past, Harry would have let the young man off the hook. Ron was his first friend. But with knowledge of the future, Harry knew how difficult Ron could become and how troublesome he could be. Harry would probably forgive the young man, but not without Ron actually and legitimately apologizing.

Ron appeared to struggle a bit more. His eyes briefly flashed up to meet Harry and Harry could see the frustration there. But it was not the frustration of apologizing. It was the frustration of Jealousy. Harry could almost hear Ron's thoughts. The red-head was wondering where this half-blood got off making him, a pureblood, look like a fool in front of so many people. Why did Harry get money? Ron had taken in the crowd and seen the women all waiting to speak to Harry, and as such was torn. How could all these lovely witches be interested in the boy? Even Hermione, seeing all of that attention, still looked hopeful. What was going on?

And Harry realized he could hear Ron's thoughts. Not like he could Hermione or Daphne's, but in a more subtle, 'I will read the train of thought' sort of way. It was scary and brilliant all at once. Then Ron seemed to come to a decision.

"I'm sorry Harry." And then a silence fell. Harry decided he would push the young wizard a bit further. He needed to know where Ron stood, because while he was a friend, his thoughts said otherwise.

"Sorry for what exactly, Ron?"

Tension filled the air once more. It was almost palpable. Then something unexpected happened. Ron's face began to grow red, and as he did, wind began to gently sweep around the drafty corridor. Ron's anger was getting away and he was a powerful wizard. Easily one of the stronger in their year. How else could he have levitated a troll's club not even a semester into their first year.

But Harry was stronger. And instantly the wind grew but rather than pushing the others back, it simply created a pressure on Ron. Harry spoke again, magic filling his words. While it did not really mean much, it was quite a show.

"Sorry. For. What. Ron?" There was a tense standoff before Ron cracked.

"Forget it. Apparently you are too important now to hear the apology of a friend."

Harry stood shocked. He hid it well, but inside he had no idea how to respond to that. As he felt his magic withdraw itself, he looked around the room. The remaining guys looked on with either fear or respect or some mix of the two.

The women, on the other hand, looked hungry. And Harry instantly knew what was coming next. Wiithout thinking, he grabbed Hermione and Daphne's hands.

"Come on. Neville, see you later?"

At the slightly pudgy boys nod, Harry took off. Twenty minutes later found the tri ensconced in the Room of Requirement. Harry flopped down on the couch.

"Well that was infuriating."

Harry missed the two witches come over and move into his sides. He missed the slight look which passed between the two. Jealousy had not really been an issue, but it was suddenly flaring as the two realized that Harry needed a date for the Ball and both of them wanted to be it.

"Come on Harry, relax." Daphne's husky whisper in his ear drew his eyes to her. She slunk closer and began to nibble on his neck. Hermione was not to be outdone and moved from her side.

"Yeah, it will all be alright." She nibbled on his earlobe and began kneading his shoulders.

It only took another twenty minutes for the tension to begin leaving Harry's shoulders. That tension returned, however, when the massage and nibbling stopped. Harry turned to look at the girls who both had that same hungry look in their eyes. Harry, when he was older, would have said that room would need a bedroom immediately. In this moment, he associated it with the look the other witches had been giving him.

"Et tu, Brute?"

Daphne looked at him confused. Hermione had the decency to look ashamed for a minutes before looking back at him defiantly.

"Well you have to take someone Harry."

"Yeah, McGongall sa-" Daphne clamped her hands over her mouth. Harry looked at her incredulously. He then turned his attention to Hermione and once more saw the shame drift across her face. With a tired sigh, Harry stood.

"Ladies, you both know I care for you. But this is too much. I refuse to take one of you and not the other, but to be honest after seeing the looks you two have been sharing, I'm not sure I want to take either of you anyway."

With that Harry strode to the door, leaving a flabbergasted duo behind. He stopped as he opened the door, setting his head on the door jamb as he sighed once more. Fighting back tears at seeing the two people he trusted not to see him as anything other than Harry see him as something else, Harry called back.

"I love you both, I really do, but you two need to straighten this out. Do you want to be with me because I am Harry, or would you prefer to be with The-Boy-Who-Lived, Triwizard Champion."

With the, Harry left. As the door clicked behind him, Hermione and Daphne both stared at the door for a bit before quietly turning to face one another. Both had tears forming in their eyes.

"You know what I hate most about this?" Hermione's voice fought not to crack. Daphne, not trusting her own voice at the moment, shook her head to indicate She did not know.

"He is absolutely right. All he has ever wanted to be was Harry. None of this other stuff. And that is why I fell in love with him."

"Me too." Hermione smiled at Daphne's quiet admittance.

"And yet, for all he has ever given me, I turned on that idea in a small fit of jealous rage. I know he loves us, but…"

"But will he forgive us." Daphne finished the statement. With tears fully forming, the two reached out and held one another. They wanted to go and apologize to Harry right then, but knew that would not work. Worse, they had to forgive and apologize to one another.

Hermione, for so long, was used to being the only woman in Harry's life. Daphne had managed to change that and now Hermione, for her part, needed to learn to deal with that. It had caused jealousy and feelings of inadequacy to form. And Hermione hated herself for letting it happen.

Daphne, new to this group, had found herself desperately and hopelessly in love with one Harry Potter. She had no idea how he had managed to break her defenses. First there had been the contract, but Harry had broken it to free her. He had been a friend, breaking through her ice queen defenses. She had fallen in love with him, but he was Hermione's. And then there was that kiss and marriage and she felt as if she was playing catch up. It had led to jealousy of her bond mate, and it had driven the other one away.

The two clung to one another, apologizing and crying.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

Harry had left the room. He was unsure of what to do. He loved both of them dearly. He needed them in his life. Yet the fact of the matter was that both seemed to want something from him he could not give.

Oh, Harry knew better. This was the first ever instance of jealousy he had seen from Hermione and he knew of her past. He knew she still felt self-conscious. He knew the incredible woman Daphne had become and he had become friends with her, but he had learned how fragile she was at this age. It had come to a point where the blond had even addressed suicidal ideation with Harry. It was something, she had said, which only Tracey and her sister had managed to get her through. So Harry knew there was a great deal of tension for both girls. Further, he knew that their relationship was awkward and would require time and openness.

But none of that made him feel much better at the moment.

Harry slipped on his invisibility cloak to make it through the castle undisturbed, and made his way outdoors.

As Harry approached his favorite tree near the Lake, he heard sniffling. What's more, the sniffling was coming from his tree. Cautiously, not wanting to disturb someone but being worried, Harry snuck around to see who it was.

Sitting there, with her knees drawn to her chest, was a young blond girl wearing the uniform of a Beauxbatons' student. Harry would imagine she was a first year, if a young one at that. The small girl appeared to be 9 or 10 at the most. Her skin was pale and perfectly smooth. She reminded Harry a great deal of Fleur, at least from what he could see. As Harry tried to sneak back and leave her undisturbed, his foot snapped a twig. Harry froze at the sound, as did the young girl. She turned and began to look around. As if seeking the sound of the noise. Harry was entranced by the face. There was an unearthly beauty to the girl. Harry felt the same sort of pull he had from Fleur, but it was nowhere near as strong. This girl had a soft heart-shaped face, yet a sense of aristocratic beauty. Her lips were lush, even for one so young, and her eyes were the darkest blue Harry had ever seen. Were they much darker, Harry would have called them black. And yet they glistened like the night sky, an effect only drawn out further by the light coating of tears.

"Qui est là! Who iz zere!" After a tense moment of searching, the young witch drew her wand and Harry could have sworn he saw her other clenched fist smoldering. Throwing caution to the wind, Harry did the only thing he could think of.

He pulled off the cloak.

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to frighten you." Harry raised his hands in a placating manner. Unfortunately, his appearance scared the poor witch. She jumped in fright and dropped her wand. As she collapsed on the ground, he smoldering fist lit on fire and she threw the ball at him.

All action ceased at this. Harry was concerned. He knew that Elementals could handle fire as hot and dangerous as a dragon's, but Veela fire was an unknown. But at their distance, Harry did not have time to react as the fire struck him and he too fell to the ground. He heard words in French as the young witch jumped to her feet and made her way over to him.

Harry felt the hole in the front of his robes. They certainly were not fire-proof. But the skin beneath, it looked unaffected. And this was how the French witch found him. He first saw her concerned eyes come into his line of sight, followed by a confused look crossing her face, before realization set in.

"You…You are ze Harry Potter!"

"Well, I do prefer Harry and you are welcome to drop the 'The'" Harry spoke with a smile and then groaned as he sat up. This drew another concerned look from the witch.

"Oh no. Did I 'urt you?"

"Hmm? Oh, no. The ground is rather hard though." Harry showed her the unburnt skin before massaging his back. A Silence fell between the two. Finally, Harry decided to break it.

"So, if you don't mind my asking. Why were you out here?" Harry kindly left the crying part off and based on the brief smile he got from the girl, it was well appreciated.

"Well, zere iz ze ball coming. All of my friends have dates, but none of ze boyz want to go wiz me." There was a slightly crestfallen look on her face. The two had settled down by the tree once more. Harry would ask himself years later what led him to do it, but he decided it was time. He reached out an arm, offering the young witch a place to cuddle into him which she immediately took. As she buried her face into his shoulder, Harry said the words.

"I would be honored if you would be willing to lower yourself to be my date miss…?"

"Really? You would go wiz me? Oui! OUI! Of course!" The young witch reached up and kissed his cheek before jumping to her feet. "I must go tell Amalie and Rebecca and…and zhe dress! I need to talk to Fleur and Maman! Zey will never believe I am going wiz ZE Harry Potter." Harry could see the smirk on her face as she said this and knew that she did not mean it in that annoying fangirl way. She was teasing him.

As the excited witch prepared to spring off, Harry carefully reached out and held her shoulder, turning her back to face him. Harry noticed he stood about a head taller than her.

"Well, I would be honored to take such a lovely woman with me, but I would like to know your name." Harry offered her a lopsided grin, one which her own brilliant smile met.

"Gabrielle Delacour, Mr. Potter. And I would be honored to be your guest."

At that, the small blond witch turned and fled for the Beauxbatons Carriage.

Then it hit Harry. He had a date for the ball and it was neither Hermione or Daphne.

They were going to kill him when they found out.


End file.
